Four 10-minute quarters
A WNBA game is 40 minutes of playing time: four 10-minute quarters. That is shorter than the NBA’s 12-minute quarters. The team that scores more points wins.
Basketball · 2026
WNBA, explained.
Fifteen teams. Eight playoff clubs. One WNBA champion. Here’s the quick guide.
The WNBA is the top professional women’s basketball league in North America: 15 clubs in two conferences, a 44-game regular season, and an eight-team playoff that ends with the WNBA Finals.
League contact
League-office address published by the WNBA. The league does not list a public switchboard on its contact page — use the official form for general questions. For tickets or a specific club, use that team.
- Office
- WNBA Enterprises, LLC
645 Fifth Avenue
New York, NY 10022
A short history
The Women’s National Basketball Association was founded in 1996 and tipped off in 1997. The first game was the New York Liberty at the Los Angeles Sparks on June 21, 1997. The championship is the WNBA Finals.
2026 is the league’s 30th season. The field grew from 13 to 15 with the Portland Fire and Toronto Tempo, after the Golden State Valkyries joined in 2025. The 2025 champion is the Las Vegas Aces.
Current teams
Seven clubs in the East, eight in the West. Playoff seeds ignore conference — they are the top eight records league-wide. Open a team for scores, the next game, and news.
2026 schedule
The regular season runs May 8 to September 24, 2026. Each team plays 44 games — 22 home, 22 on the road. The playoffs tip off Sunday, September 27.
How the league works
Four quarters, a 24-second shot clock, and a points race that feeds an eight-team bracket.
Standings
Teams are ranked by winning percentage. Conferences are for the regular-season schedule and the Commissioner’s Cup. Playoff seeds are the top eight records, regardless of conference.
Commissioner’s Cup
A midseason tournament inside the regular-season schedule. Cup games still count in the standings. The Cup champion is separate from the WNBA Finals champion.
Scoring
A field goal inside the arc is two points. A three-pointer is three. A free throw is one. Overtime periods are played if the score is tied after four quarters.
Fouls and the clock
A team in the bonus sends the other side to the line. The shot clock is 24 seconds. The game clock stops more often than it does in soccer, so a broadcast usually runs about two hours.
Conferences
The East has seven clubs in 2026, the West eight. That split does not decide who makes the playoffs.
The season
Training camp in the spring, 44 regular-season games from May into late September, then three playoff rounds into late October.
How the playoffs work
Eight teams. Three rounds. Seeds are league-wide — a Western club can open against another Western club.
Who gets in
The top eight regular-season records, seeded 1–8. First-round pairings are 1–8, 2–7, 3–6, and 4–5.
First round, then semifinals
The first round is best-of-three (1-1-1). Semifinals are best-of-five (2-2-1). In 2026 the first round starts September 27; semifinals start October 4.
WNBA Finals
Best-of-seven (2-2-1-1-1). In 2026 Game 1 is scheduled for October 17. A Game 7, if needed, would be October 31.
Home court: The higher seed hosts the extra home game in each series. The first-round 1-1-1 format means the higher seed hosts Game 1 and a deciding Game 3; the lower seed hosts Game 2.
For the live table that feeds these seeds, see the WNBA standings.
Office address, 2026 dates, and playoff rules checked September 24, 2026. Use the official WNBA links if an address or date changes.